


you're my superstar

by pearlaqua



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Eventual Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Subverted Trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22293664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pearlaqua/pseuds/pearlaqua
Summary: Jisung is a planet revolving Chenle's heart.(In a world where soulmates exist, they keep finding each other.)
Relationships: Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 16
Kudos: 85





	1. before i met you, i pushed them all away

**Author's Note:**

> [i posted this in october but as i was writing the second chapter i realized the fic had a lot of mistakes so... i deleted it and tried to improve it, hope you like it!]
> 
> soulmate!au where the stars lead you to your soulmate. but what if you find someone perfect for you and the mark in your wrist never shows up?

Jisung doesn't believe in fate until he meets Chenle.

It’s a sweltering day of summer, one that makes two families leave the city for the beach to avoid the heat.

Jisung is playing by himself, as he always does.

_'Friendly'_ isn’t one of his traits.

He stares at the weird-shaped sand between his hands; there’s no way he can make a good castle without a bucket. The problem is his parents won’t buy him one until he puts on sunscreen and he rather let his skin burn red than allow her mom to apply it on him.

_'Stubborn'_ is surely one of his traits.

“You need a sand bucket,” says a child-like voice above Jisung.

He flinches at the surprise of someone talking to him and looks up to see who the owner of those words is.

Jisung finds a smile as bright as the sun above him, but instead of meeting his eyes and greeting the kid, he looks back at his ugly attempt of a sandcastle.

“I know,” is all he can mumble.

Jisung is not trying to be mean, it’s just… he is not good at talking with strangers, he is not supposed to do it.

“I have one,” adds the boy.

“Good for you.”

“Let’s play together!” exclaims the child as he takes a seat in front of Jisung. He doesn’t wait for an answer and starts to pour sand in his bucket.

At first, Jisung just glares at him, mad because the boy is using his sand to fill the green bucket.

The stranger laughs every time the castle crumbles, annoying Jisung even more.

Maybe if they play together, the kid will leave sooner.

But as the sun is shutting down, painting the sky with a warm color palette, two boys have built an empire of sand and innocence. It could be castles of all shapes with stories about knights in shining armors or cities ruled by monsters, a submarine or a plane; they don't care.

Jisung allows himself to laugh and create whole new worlds with this mysterious boy.

Destiny ties tighten around them for the first time, but they're too young to notice it.

And when the unknown kid’s mother comes and takes his son’s hand to leave the beach, Jisung is too perplexed to say goodbye.

It doesn’t matter.

Farewells don’t exist between them.

⋆☆⋆

They meet each other again and again and again. At the bus station, at school, at a hospital waiting room. Both childhoods full of aleatory occurrences while the universe is testing their ties, deciding if it should seal their fates together or not.

A shooting star announces the verdict.

Later they’ll realize some bonds are unbreakable.

The next time they see each other is at the venue of the school’s talent show.

After the fear in the contestants, the astonishment in the teachers and the loud cheers from the public, there’s only someone left.

Jisung is sitting in the middle of an empty scenario, with ghosts of judgmental stares as an audience and sobs as background music.

He forgot his solo in the middle of the performance and made his team lose.

It’s all his fault. As always.

Chenle silently enters the place and walks to the stage. He stands in front of Jisung with his white tuxedo and a smile looking too bright in comparison to the boy submerged in his black oversized hoodie and tears.

“Let’s dance.”

Jisung almost screams in fear when he hears Chenle. He opens his eyes and finds the boy right in front of him, portraying his usual beam. He quickly buries his face between his knees, hoping he's fast enough to hide his ugly crying.

“There’s no music,” mumbles Jisung seconds later, when he notices the other won’t take silence as an answer.

“Let’s make it then.” _I can be your music._

Jisung looks at Chenle with a confused expression, not understanding why the boy is there talking to a failure like him instead of celebrating his first place with all his talented friends.

Still, he lets Chenle take his hand and help him stand up. He doesn’t argue when their fingers get intertwined nor when their hands are swinging from side to side.

Jisung doesn’t say a word when Chenle mumbles a song he has never heard before, but he thinks it sounds amazing in that beautiful voice.

None of them notice when they start to give uncertain steps that can be cataloged as a terrible attempt of a waltz.

Suddenly, two silhouettes are dancing to the rhythm of their hearts, engulfed in the dim light and a melody only they know. The compass is unsteady, the dance steps are messy, and they couldn't care less.

Because it's theirs.

They go back and forth as their ties, close and far as their paths.

A sloppy turn makes them stumble and, even if Jisung tries to grab Chenle's arm to prevent him from the fall, it can't be helped.

They trip and fall together.

Two stars collides. The universe is confused.

Chenle's carefree laugh fills the room, leaving no space for sadness.

⋆☆⋆

Jisung texts Chenle when he's outside his house.

He doesn’t get a response, but in less than a minute the young man is smiling in front of him.

It doesn’t surprise Jisung; his friend has the expertise from hundreds of midnight getaways. He knows how to escape through the window of his room fast and without making any sound.

“You forgot your bike again.”

“I’m too sleepy to ride it. Unlike you, I’m a human being who sleeps.”

Jisung doesn’t argue back. He never does, even if he knows someone is lying at him.

Chenle sits in the rear bike rack and places his arms around the younger’s waist, as he always does.

This is their thing.

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere.”

Jisung pedals until there’s nothing left, until all the city lights disappear behind them and the immense darkness of the world threatens to eat them alive.

There are no cars, no people. Just them.

The chill night breeze messes with their hairs and Chenle hugs Jisung tighter than before, squeezing him and pushing one cheek against his back. Then he starts whispering promises, mumbling songs, soothing the chaos inside them with the cadence of his voice. Jisung has always liked Chenle’s voice, everyone does.

Jisung is aiming for the stars.

Chenle knows. That’s why he's the first to get off the bike when they reach a certain point in the highway and his friend stops without pronouncing a word. He grabs Jisung’s hand and walks through a grass field, hoping they won’t get caught this time because it’ll be harder to explain.

The universe refuses to understand.

“Welcome to our date with the sky,” says Jisung when they're lying on the lawn, still holding hands.

Chenle points to every star their eyes can see and Jisung tries to name all of them. If he doesn’t know, they invent a name together.

It has happened a millionth times before, they probably have an entire galaxy baptized by themselves. But they don’t care.

Because it’s theirs.

There’s no shooting star this time. They’ll never get to see one together.

Nothing can take care of the wishes they don’t make.

⋆☆⋆

Jisung's leaving the dance studio past midnight when a well-known hand grabs his wrist. He's more than tired, sore muscles and a bit dehydrated, but he lets Chenle lead him through the city anyway.

It’s late and it’s dangerous in the surroundings, someone can easily hurt them.

Maybe that’s part of the plan.

They sneak in the rooftop of the tallest building they know, the one who makes all the other ones look like weird constellations with their small tilting lights.

Cars can be their shooting stars.

They’re sitting on the railing, legs hanging to the infinite, hands sticking together as usual.

Just a little move can end it all, still they won’t do it. Not now.

“Would you leave with me?” asks Chenle after a while, when he gives up on waiting for cars to appear and hold his wishes.

“When?”

“When the time comes.”

Jisung is silent for the next couple of seconds. He carefully turns around and jumps to the safety of the rooftop floor. That’s when he answers, “do you really need to ask?”

The fear disappears.

Only one emotion prevails in Chenle’s mind.

But what will he do with all the wishes?

The universe is confused too.

⋆☆⋆

It doesn’t matter what is surrounding them this time. It could be the stuffed toys of Jisung’s messy bedroom or the colorful flowers of Chenle’s backyard, starry or cloudy skies.

It’s always the same when they’re together.

Except this time.

Jisung senses the storm making its way between them. He can feel the nervousness in Chenle and the need to argue at all his lies.

The sight of their empy wrists, without a single trace of a date, is more unbearable than ever.

The usual light of their smiles is dimming, almost extinct by now. And yet they’re still holding hands.

Jisung doesn’t ask. He knows Chenle won’t answer.

It’s the stardust between them.

⋆☆⋆

They have grass on both hands when Chenle finally voices the question.

“What are your plans for next year?”

Jisung’s chest tighten. He looks at the field in front of them and at the grey sky above their heads, at anything but his friend’s eyes.

He isn’t ready for this moment yet, even if he knows they’re not destined to be together. Jisung wants to cry, to cling onto Chenle’s side and ask him to never leave him.

But he will never be that selfish.

Jisung takes a deep breath and jokes the feelings away.

“There’s a thing called dance, you know, when you move...”

Chenle bumps his friend’s shoulder and tries his best to smile. He fails.

“I’ll go back to China.”

Jisung sighs. This will be their first goodbye.

He can’t stop the rain from falling. He can’t hold him back.

And still… he won’t give up.

“So why aren’t you teaching me Chinese right now?”

“Because I’m busy recommending you to the best dance crews in Shanghai.”

It’s hard to move a planet out of its orbit.

There’s something called love pulling it in.

Jisung hopes the universe gets to understand it someday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading !! 💕💕💕💕💕💕  
> i really hope this was better than the original fic i posted): next chapter will be ready soon uwu
> 
> also this was inspired by marina - superstar (the title and the summary are straight from her song)


	2. soon as i kissed you, i wanted you to stay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! here's the second chapter and i hope you like it! it's a bit sad and please keep in mind that they were at the same grade while studying;;

_Chenle leaves tomorrow._

_Chenle leaves tomorrow._

_Chenle leaves tomorrow._

That’s the only thing on Jisung’s mind while he pedals in the middle of the night. He ignores red lights and takes shortcuts he has been too afraid to use before; it’s not a moment to care about his safety.

He must visit his best friend for the last time and perhaps…

Perhaps their wishes will come true.

Jisung, poor boy, still trusts the stars.

As he is reaching the house, Jisung can distinguish a familiar figure sitting in the sidewalk with nothing but hope.

He smiles.

“You came,” Chenle says when their eyes meet despite the dim light of the street.

“I wanted to say goodbye,” Jisung replies, leaving his bike on the ground to sit beside his friend.

They don’t go on a stroll that night. 

They stay on the floor, holding hands and yearning for a miracle they both know it won’t happen.

Chenle looks at the sky, but the city lights prevent him to find anything alongside the moon.

An intrusive thought crosses his mind.

_What if he gives up?_

A pair of lips against his cheek reminds him why he is fighting for.

“There’s no mark reminding us when we met each other for the first time…” Jisung mumbles and kisses his best friend’s hand. “But, please, don’t forget about me.”

Chenle doesn’t get to answer.

Jisung picks up his bike and rides it without looking back (nor up).

He doesn’t notice the moon lighting his way far from home.

⋆☆⋆

Jisung spends the following months convincing his parents to let him visit Chenle.

He cleans the house, runs errands and even learns how to cook, yet nothing can make them change their minds. They don’t understand why meeting a friend is so important to him.

“You should worry upon finding your soulmate, not over a friend who will forget you soon,” Jisung’s mom says to him during one of their arguments.

Jisung acts as he didn’t listen to her. 

Don’t forget ‘stubborn’ is one of his traits.

That’s why the moon likes him.

⋆☆⋆

Jisung is reading a Webtoon when someone taps the counter in front of him. He flinches, sets his phone aside and accommodates the hat on his head before delivering the automatic greeting.

“Welcome! How can I help you?” he says as a robot, without looking at the person in front of him. He doesn’t like the glares customers give him when they catch him lazing around instead of working.

“We will have auditions next week,” a familiar voice says, and Jisung is forced to glance at his face.

_Taeyong._

It’s been three months since they last saw each other and two from the last text Jisung sent him.

And he understands what his former dance teacher means with those words, he’s been checking the academy Instagram account almost every day. 

Jisung can’t excuse himself before the man talks again.

“I know your parents won’t pay for your classes because you didn’t start college this year,” Taeyong begins, voice softer than ever. “But I also know you aren’t an obedient kid, so why haven't you came to the academy?”

Jisung opens his mouth one, two and three times. There’s a lump on his throat making it impossible for him to say a word and his vision is getting blurry from the tears waiting in his eyes. He wants to jump over the counter and burry his face in the crook of Taeyong’s neck, hide his sobs on that place, but he just stands still with his head low.

And the dancer who has always been good at comforting him, only grabs his hand this time.

“If you audition you won’t have to pay,” Taeyong offers. “I’ll text you the details.”

Jisung lets out a deep sigh and nods as an answer.

Dance has always been his escape, an eternal painkiller to the chaos running in his mind, a way to silence the clamour of the universe in his bones. He’s been dancing his entire life. He doesn’t remember how it started, but he recalls why he kept doing it for years: determination, passion… love.

And love is also the reason why all traces of energy have left his body and he isn’t motivated to dance anymore.

That could happen when you ignore the stars design.

⋆☆⋆

Jisung is watching the auditions with a heart threatening to leave his chest and a stomach willing to throw up the breakfast he didn't eat.

Everyone is amazingly talented, they all hit the beats with astounding energy and bright smiles even if Taeyong is glaring at them as if they have two left feet.

He has the number 22 written on his right hand and an uncontrollable quiver in both. Jisung thanks it’s a permanent marker or it would have been erased with how much he’s sweating.

He must calm down, but the air is too thick to breathe in properly and he can’t even remember which song he is going to perform.

When Taeyong calls for the 20th contestant, Jisung decides he should leave without even trying.

And then his phone vibrates.

**king head:**

good luck with your audition !!

i know you’re gonna do well

you’re amazing !!

“Jisung, your turn!” Taeyong shouts.

The named boy gets startled by the sudden scream, but then walks to the middle of the room with a new resolution.

He will give the best of him.

What else could a planet do when he’s so far from his star?

⋆☆⋆

Jisung doesn’t want to miss him.

He knew Chenle would leave after graduation. It had always been his dream to study at Shanghai Conservatory of Music; he said it and showed his passion for singing a million times, when he sang unknown love songs to Jisung and he danced like he knew every single beat by heart. Maybe he did. 

Jisung spent years encouraging him to chase his dream, praising him about his skills and cheering him up when things didn’t go well.

Now his friend is finally there… then why does he feel so sad? Wasn’t he supposed to be happy because Chenle is accomplishing his goals?

Jisung can’t complain about his life either. He’s dancing five days a week; three with his dance crew and two taking more classes to improve. He’s been learning new styles, making friends who share similar goals and invite him to hang out with them when he has free time.

Jisung’s been gaining confidence, opening himself to the world and its experiences; there are fewer traits of the shy and lonely kid he was in school and more signs of the strong dancer he’s becoming.

But when he’s alone… why does he feel like something is wrong?

Maybe he isn’t the best for Chenle after all.

_The stars are never wrong._

⋆☆⋆

If Saturn can change its colors, Jisung is allowed to do so.

Blue emerges under his eyes, a shade so dark that doesn’t even Chenle’s pixelated smile can bright it away.

And, honestly, Jisung doesn’t want the color to go.

Blue is the constant reminder something isn’t right with him, that it’s impossible to dream without his best friend by his side.

Jisung knows he’s overloading himself between work, dance practice and his (now) lonely midnight getaways. He’s exhausted, and sometimes he feels like his legs would fall off from his body, but he needs to keep his mind occupied.

And when Taeyong scolds him for his eyebags, Jisung calls in sick to work.

He won’t put a stop to his night walks.

He needs to curse at the stars and blame them for his misery every day.

Jisung is too gloomy to notice the moon gesturing at him.

⋆☆⋆

Jisung closes the blackout curtains of his room and throws himself on the bed.

Taeyong sent him home earlier because he almost fainted during practice and, although the boy has a tendency to overburden himself, he knows he can’t get sick now; not when their first competition is soon.

Two hours later he realizes not only his body is reaching its breaking point, but maybe his feelings are too.

“What if you find your soulmate there? What if you realize you don’t want me around anymore and what we’re doing is pointless?” Jisung whispers the moment Chenle picks up the call, too scared to voice it out loud but forcing himself to be brave enough and ask.

Chenle lets out a deep sigh, not expecting those questions instead of their usual cheesy greeting. “And what if I find them? I won’t stop loving you for a dumb starry decision,” he reassures (or tries to).

Stardust makes Jisung end the call.

Chenle blames their connection instead of facing the truth.

He doesn’t want to admit what the recent mark on his wrist means.

What can the moon do?

⋆☆⋆ 

“It’s almost ten… let’s take a break now, okay?” Taeyong asks, as if someone would refuse to rest.

In the blink of an eye a lot of bodies are spread on the floor; some of them lying as if they’re dead (their muscles surely feel like they are) and others drinking water like they haven’t had a sip in centuries. Practice has been extremely hard these days and everyone is bearing with it in their own way.

Jisung deals with exhaustion texting Chenle. He bombs him with random messages, memes and cute animals’ videos, knowing his friend would laugh when he sees them later.

It’s easy to talk about superficial things, to pretend there’s nothing wrong between them and they aren’t being eaten alive by doubts.

“Are you texting your non-boyfriend again?” Hyunjin questions before taking a sup from his water bottle.

“I told you we can’t be together, he’s in China,” Jisung replies, locking his phone so his friend couldn’t read the chat and tease him about it. “And everyone’s too invested in the soulmate stuff.”

“What is a little curse from the stars?” the boy asks in a half-truth. He dated someone before his other half, the scar on his left knee is the proof.

“Have you tried with the moon?” Chaeryeong inquiries as she lies on the ground.

The young men stare at each other in confusion.

“You guys don’t know?” she says with clear disbelief in this voice, getting up until a sitting position only to give them a judgmental stare. “When they say men are useless…”

Chaeyeon, the girl’s sister, overhears the conversation and props herself up on his elbows to join it. “There’s this common saying in tragic love stories... I guess that’s why you haven’t heard about it. You don’t look like the type who read.”

Jisung is about to protest in his behalf, because webtoons count as reading too, when the sisters interrupt him.

“Stars lead you to your soulmate, but the moon is rooting for all the forbidden lovers,” the girls recite as if it’s a spell.

Then Chaeyeong dramatically puts a hand, the one with the mark, over his forehead and pretends to die in her sister’s arms.

Hyunjin laughs at their antics, while Jisung…

_Stars lead you to your soulmate, but the moon is rooting for all the forbidden lovers._

They were always asking for a miracle from stars and lights; they’d never thought about making a wish upon the moon.

_What if…_

“I’ll be right back,” Jisung mumbles and runs away from the studio, calling Chenle as he’s exiting the building.

The wintry night weather slaps him in the face and Jisung wavers a little at the door, wondering if he should go back for his hoodie or not.

Chenle picks up the call.

“Are you in rehearsal?” Jisung questions as he’s looking up, walking down the street and hoping to find the moon behind a building or a cloud.

“It just ended. Why?” Chenle replies. Jisung notices his heavy breathing and concludes he must be walking home.

“Do you see the moon? The sisters told me something… we need to find the moon but I can’t see it and…” Jisung gasps and glances at the roadway before crossing it, then returns his gaze to the night sky. “Why is it so cloudy?”

“Because it's winter?” Chenle says, bewildered. “I don’t understand…”

“We can make wishes to the moon. They told me…” he pauses to cross another road.

“Jisung…” Chenle pronounces with a weary tone, one the said boy ignores.

“We should check moon phases and try making wishes again,” Jisung insists, desperation dripping from his voice.

“Okay…” Chenle sighs. “Text me about it tomorrow.”

Jisung does, but Chenle doesn’t call for the rest of the week.

An asteroid hits Jisung.

It explodes in doubts.

And when he forgets the dance steps at the competition, there isn’t a certain boy cheering him up backstage.

Next month Jisung is searching on google if stars can be shut down.

Is the universe happy now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading !! 💕💕💕💕💕 (if someone read it slkjdh)  
> i'll probably edit this later so please tell me if you saw a mistake !  
> 


	3. so let's run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyy it’s been a while !! if someone who knows astronomy finds this… i’m sorry because not even one of my comparisons make sense slkdjh if you don’t mind about that, i hope you like it uwu  
> this chapter is named after a verse of the song end credits by eden

Hope remains as a tiny flame in Jisung’s heart.

Sometimes it threatens to set ablaze and consume him, it invades his dreams and turn them into ones with a smiling boy next to him. Others it’s almost extinct, ashes of unsaid wishes and forbidden plans.

“You know…” Hyunjin trails one night after practice, as they walk together to the subway. “I got the mark months after meeting Jeongin, that could be your case.”

Jisung stops his tracks, gaze low for a second; he won’t bother looking at the polluted sky. The corners of his mouth rise, even if there’s no real emotion behind it. “It’s been years.”

Hyunjin laches an arm around Jisung’s shoulders, sensing the meteor shower in his friend’s mind. “Maybe they’re having a hard time deciding your fate.”

“Why can’t I decide it?” Jisung protests, as he always does.

“That’s not how the world works.”

Jisung wonders if destiny would still exist if everyone stops believing in it.

⋆☆⋆

There’s no moon the night of Jisung’s last attempt.

Was it there when they first met?

It’s a sweltering summer night, one that makes families think about visiting the beach the next day to avoid the heat.

Jisung is in the middle of a roaming city, swimming in a crowd with thick air caressing his skin instead of the sea.

People walk in and out of stores, in and out of ice cream shops. They’re having fun; or searching for it.

What is Jisung searching for? Love? Happiness?

A miracle?

Chenle picks up the call at the third tune. “Did something happen? I’m busy…”

Jisung knows. Chenle is always busy. It’s been six months in where they’ve been occupied enough to avoid each other without the guilt.

“What are your thoughts on white lies?” Jisung asks, straight to the point. “What if they appear one over another, each one more careless than the last? What if they are comets… burning everything in their way? And if the fumes are so big that you can’t see the moon, nor the stars, nor the fucking city lights?” He breathes in deeply, until both sides of his heart get numb, then exhales over the phone. “If someone lies to you for months, is it still a white lie?”

Jisung doesn’t notice, but he’s shaking; the last strand of faith smothering his chest.

For the next minute, the line is dead silent.

And Jisung expects to hear everything but a sob.

“I’m sorry,” Chenle mumbles before finishing the call.

Who can Jisung blame this time?

A dead star?

⋆☆⋆

“It’s bullshit, it’s all bullshit!” Jisung exclaims when Taeyong opens his apartment’s door.

It’s past 1AM, and his feet hurt from all the dancing and the walking he did later. He clashes on his dance mentor’s sofa, curling himself into a ball.

“It really is, life is just…” Taeyong sighs, awkward pats against the younger’s back. “One damn thing overlapping another, but you get through it.”

At least the universe agrees with something.

Jisung spends the night there, sinking into the couch, hoping it will absorb him completely. The white tapestry should become a black hole, consuming him and eradicating him from Earth. Or perhaps it should extract only a part of it. The innocent one, the naive child blinded by love.

Or it should make him fall out of his orbit.

He doesn’t know; he doesn’t want to. Because when Taeyong asks him what he will do, he decides he will shine on his own.

And (nuclear) stars don’t meet.

They can collapse into a black hole.

⋆☆⋆

As the music dissipates, Jisung slides next to Chaeryeong and strikes the final pose. A loud round of applauses and cheers surround them, but all he hears is the rattle of his heart and his own panting.

While the clamor lasts, Jisung scans the crow. He spots his parents and the sisters’ standing together at the back, contrasting with Taeyong’s soulmate in the second row and Hyunjin’s one in the third. He lets his eyes flutter over the seats, searching for familiar faces out of habit more than with a proper intention.

Until he finds him.

Someone hugs Jisung when the ovations are over, and he can’t remember if he did the group bow or not. More arms and pats on his back drag him out of the stage, congratulations and a few regrets spoken in the way to the dressing rooms.

“Jisung, are you okay?” Hyunjin asks with a look concerned enough to pull him out of his haze.

The boy blinks once, twice and thrice, forces a brief smile and nods. “Yeah, I just… I could have done better.” Jisung partly lies, because even if he rues his execution of some steps, he’s worrying about a face in the public. A well-known one.

Is his mind tricking him again? Is he insane?

“Don’t overthink, we were amazing.”

When they go back to the stage and receive the second-place prize, Jisung looks anywhere but the crowd.

Jisung waves off his friends’ invitations and leaves through the back door, texting his parents he will meet them in the parking lot. He doesn’t want to risk an encounter with _him_ , even if it’s impossible for Chenle to be back in Korea. He wants to tuck himself on bed, eat Doritos and binge watch anime until he forgets his former best friend.

Jisung is mentally debating between Free and Haikyuu when someone taps his left shoulder.

When he turns back, Jisung becomes a kid under the sun, a child paralyzed by fear and a rebellious teenager. All at once.

Because Chenle is there.

“I know you always crave these,” is the first thing Chenle says, handing Jisung a bag of Doritos.

Months feel like ages when their eyes lock, and Jisung can’t ignore how much Chenle has grown. It’s in his defined jaw, his dark long hair, and the strength of the renewed gravitational force pulling him closer.

Jisung switches his gaze between Chenle, the snacks, and the foggy nocturnal sky.

He doesn’t dare to enter the boy’s magnetic camp again, not now. So, he steps back, not even accepting the gift.

A phone vibrates, and it’s his signal to leave.

“I can’t- “, Jisung starts, but his voice is cut by someone afraid of rejection.

“Midnight, the park near your house,” Chenle suggests, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. “ _Please_ , I owe you an explanation.”

Jisung’s throat closes, a big lump preventing any word to come out. He walks away before it vanishes and lets him commit a mistake.

In a polluted night sky, you can’t find any star.

⋆☆⋆

Orbits are the result of a perfect balance between the forward motion of a body in space, and the pull of gravity on it from another. They must be flawlessly evened for an orbit to happen.

Jisung warily walks down the stairs of his house, enters the kitchen and leaves through the side door.

He squeezes the key chain so much it hurts, and he can’t stop staring at his worn-out shoes, the ones he used a year ago at the airport.

The shoes are the same, but he isn’t. The boy who saw a plane take off between tears is incomparable with the one walking to the park, head low because his own judgment is enough.

He finds Chenle by the swings, barely lifting his feet to float.

“I’m here,” Jisung mumbles when he sits in the contiguous swing, not sure if it was for himself or the other.

Chenle exhales enough air to fly a kite, then rolls up his sleeves.

He has never beaten around the bush. He’s still the same.

Strings of fate are squeezing Jisung’s heart so tight it hurts. He shouldn’t be there.

Because in Chenle’s wrist lays a date.

“I’m sorry,” Chenle whispers, lifting his chin enough for Jisung to glimpse glossy eyes and wobbling lips.

Jisung stares at his own empty wrist, with enough intensity to pierce a hole through it.

He knew it would happen. He has spent years expecting it.

“Are you happy?” Jisung enquires, voice strained with how much he’s holding back tears.

And maybe he hasn’t changed at all.

“It’s so easy being with him…” Chenle trails off, picking his words carefully. “But I’m here.”

“I don’t understand,” Jisung croaks, voice hoarse to hide any unwanted emotion.

A gentle breeze stirs up Jisung’s hair, and a chill runs down his spine. A small caress of the wind reminds him why he is there, why he has always gravitated around Chenle. It’s just that now he’s afraid to admit it.

Because he’s angry, because he hates being so weak. Because even if he spent a year learning to be strong, to improve himself and look at the future with eager eyes, his fingertips are tingling to dry the single tear shining over Chenle’s cheek.

“I tried to love him, I really did,” Chenle excuses with a strained voice, wiping his own teardrop. “And I do, he’s an amazing friend.”

Jisung’s lungs declare themselves unable to function when Chenle pronounces the next words.

“But he’s not like you, I couldn’t love him more than I love you.”

The park falls silent, the entire city does. Birds are sleeping, humans are trapped in their houses. Everything stops and all Jisung can hear is his heart bumping, threatening to leave his prison of flesh to a better place.

The swing squeaks when Jisung stands.

In the distance, comets are flying and burning everything in their paths.

Chenle swears his hand burnt when he wrapped it around Jisung’s empty wrist.

He lets him go.

Some stars are celebrating.

It won’t last long.

⋆☆⋆

The thing is, stars can also merge and form a new, larger star. One brighter, happier, lovelier.

Chenle boards a plane the next day, but his presence never leaves Seoul again.

Videocalls until they fall asleep or the sun rises. Never ending texts. Physical barriers become indifferent in their space.

Jisung is being happier and happier each day. It shows in the choreographies he now creates, in the hug he gives his mom every morning.

And Chenle never tells him, but his dazzling smile makes him check if he increased the brightness of the screen by mistake.

When Jisung picks up the call and the frame of a handsome guy appears next to Chenle, it paralyzes him at the spot. The curve of his mouth trembles, crumbles.

The sight of that guy’s smile and freckles all over his cheeks is too much.

He’s fully marked by the stars.

“Is your connection okay?” Chenle asks with a slight frown.

Jisung nods, mumbling an apology he’s not sure the others can listen considering their background noise.

“I wanted to say…” the other boy starts, deep voice in contrast with his soft looks. He shifts, and Jisung notices they’re walking down a familiar street. “I’ve never seen Chenle this happy before, and he talks so much about you I feel like I’ve already met you.”

Jisung presses his lips, not sure on what is the proper way to answer. Is there one?

“I know they told us all those stories,” Chenle’s soulmate speaks again. “They raised us with movies and fairy tales regarding soulmates, they threatened us with curses and tragedies. But I couldn’t care less about it, even if I know what would happen to me.”

A pebble against Jisung’s window is enough to make him fly downstairs.

They collide in a hug, under the vigilance of a lonely satellite and a hand-painted sunset.

Jisung invites both guys to enter the house, almost exploding in questions and anticipation and… the L word.

When the moon settles in the sky, they go out.

Two bikes stop on the outskirts of the city, two young men walk through a forbidden field with a silly smile on their faces.

Apologies mumbled, questions whispered, there isn’t more left for them.

Muscle memory is enough for them to remember their usual place, to lay in a well-known spot and sink their heads in the lawn like a year ago.

Chenle caresses one of Jisung’s cheeks with his thumb, and the stardust surrounding them flies away in multiple directions.

It reaches their eyes, their souls tamed by the imminent adulthood.

“Pick a star,” Jisung says out of the blue, startling the older.

“Now? When we just decided to ignore them?” Chenle interrogates, confusion taking over his features.

Jisung can’t see him well in the gloom, but he knows exactly how Chenle looks. And he shrugs. “Saw it in a movie, just pick one.”

Chenle breathes in, counts to three and exhales before talking. “I already did,” he says, gifting a side-glance to his lifetime friend.

“Which one?” Jisung replies, gaze fixed on the firmament.

Chenle doesn’t answer, but he moves an inch closer to Jisung.

It’s hard to move a planet out of its orbit.

There’s something called love pulling it in.

They hope the universe can understand it someday. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so, tadah, the fic ended !! thank you so much for reading until here💞💞💞💞 (if someone did)
> 
> it took me months to finally post this chapter because i was debating between leaving the story with just two chapters and them not being together or writing/posting this. and then when i wrote it i had a lot of doubts because what the fuck is this none of this make sense but then i said ok fuck it i wrote it i’ll post it.  
> this was supposed to be the first part of a series with markhyuck and nomin next but i don’t think that will happen lskjdhf aaaaand I’ll probably fix a few things about this chapter later so if you spot a grammar mistake please let me know !!
> 
> also this was kind of an experiment because i tried to write in short and undescriptive sentences and i don’t know if it worked but at least i tried slkdjfgh
> 
> then again, thank you so much for reading💞💞💞💞💞💞
> 
> here's my [twitter](https://twitter.com/neopearlaqua) uwu


End file.
